Manstein despised Goring and loathed Himmler. To his most trusted colleagues he admitted to Jewish antecedents. He could also be scathing about Hitler. As a joke, his dachshund Knirps had been trained to raise his paw in salute on the command 'Heil Hitler'. On the other hand, his wife was a great admirer of Hitler, and more importantly, Manstein, as already mentioned, had even issued that order to his troops mentioning 'the necessity of hard measures against Jewry'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Manstein held personal disdain for key Nazi leaders and expressed private reservations about Hitler, yet he still executed orders enforcing anti-Semitic policies.
- In plain terms
- He disliked Nazi leaders but still followed orders against Jewish people.
- What can you take from it?
- Personal dislike of leaders does not necessarily prevent compliance with harmful orders.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do private beliefs influence public duty?
- Can one serve a regime they privately despise?
Another view
The quote mixes private opinions with public actions without clarifying the extent of his agency.
More from Erich von Manstein
Master of the Blitzkrieg.
Permalink to quote #7 He had utter disdain for the Nazis and had no time for their racial purity agenda.
Permalink to quote #9 He is the best tactician and combat commander we have.
Permalink to quote #6
Related quotes
If you want my own plain opinion about Keitel's orders, I will tell you. They were the orders of a stupid follower of Hitler. I myself paid very little attenti…
Wilhelm KeitelWilhelm Keitel quote #11 A military man can scarcely pride himself on having 'smitten a sleeping enemy'; it is more a matter of shame, simply, for the one smitten. I would rather you m…
Isoroku YamamotoIsoroku Yamamoto quote #1 War is inevitable, and this time, it will be truly world wide. It will unravel everywhere and there will be no limit to its battlefields. The condemnations of …
Otto SkorzenyOtto Skorzeny quote #1